The Deathray Davies are continuing their post-hiatus comeback with “Red Lights,” the first single from their forthcoming album LAMPSHADE EARTHQUAKE MICROPHONE, scheduled for release Nov. 6 through Having Fun / We Are Busy Bodies.
The 13-track record combines psychedelic pop, garage rock and indie rock with experimental studio techniques, while revisiting material that originated during recording sessions nearly two decades ago. The project follows Time Well Wasted, the band’s 2021 release that marked its return after a 15-year hiatus.
New Album Revisits Recordings Started in 2006
While LAMPSHADE EARTHQUAKE MICROPHONE represents the latest chapter for The Deathray Davies, much of its foundation dates to 2006.
The band had begun a recording project that was eventually shelved, leaving behind sessions that remained unused for years. Those recordings were later recovered, reworked and expanded to form the basis of the new album.
Rather than simply releasing archival material, the musicians revisited the recordings with new arrangements and production work. The resulting collection features 13 songs incorporating vintage garage rock and psychedelic pop influences alongside musique concrète-inspired elements and layered studio production.
The project positions the album as both a continuation of the band’s earlier work and a new interpretation of ideas developed before its extended hiatus.
‘Red Lights’ Introduces the Album’s Psychedelic Sound
“Red Lights,” the first advance single, offers an early indication of the album’s direction.
The track incorporates the psychedelic and garage-rock characteristics heard across the record, along with horn arrangements connected to the original sessions. Those horn parts were recorded with musicians from Athens, Georgia, by the late Bill Doss, co-founder of The Olivia Tremor Control.
Doss also contributed vocals to the album during the earlier recording period.
The involvement of musicians associated with the Elephant 6 collective adds another connection to the psychedelic and indie-pop traditions influencing the project.
Album Completed Across Several Texas Studios
The recording and production process for LAMPSHADE EARTHQUAKE MICROPHONE took place across multiple locations in Texas.
Sessions were completed at DRM and Valve studios in Dallas, Echo Lab in Denton and band member John Dufilho’s Elephant Cloud home studio. Dufilho also handled the album’s mixing and mastering.
Dufilho performs guitar and keyboards on much of the record, while Jason Garner plays bass. The pair share drumming responsibilities and provide vocals throughout the album.
Live members Rich Martin, Nick Earl, Andy Lester and Mike Middleton also contributed to the sessions.
Elephant 6 Collaborators Join the Record
Several musicians connected to Dufilho’s work with The Apples in Stereo appear on the album as guest vocalists.
The Apples in Stereo leader Robert Schneider also became involved in organizing the material. Schneider spent about a week working with Dufilho to review the old recording sessions and determine how the roughly two-decade-old ideas could be shaped into the completed album.
The process allowed the group to preserve elements of its earlier sound while incorporating additional production, performances and arrangements.
Although the record shares clear connections with The Deathray Davies’ previous catalogue, the band describes the project less as a return to an earlier style than as a continuation of work that had never been completed.
‘LAMPSHADE EARTHQUAKE MICROPHONE’ Features 13 Tracks
The album opens with “The Ballad of Lousy Robot,” followed by “Go Scare The Ghosts” and “Factory.” Lead single “Red Lights” appears as the fourth track.
The record also continues the band’s “They Stuck Me In A Box” series with Parts 8 and 9, followed later by a reprise.
Other tracks include “Cold Hearted Friend,” “Boy Takes Grandpa To Slayer Show,” “Marbles,” “Monkey,” “Helicopters In The Sky” and closing song “When Will You Come Home?”
The album draws from psychedelic pop, paisley punk and garage rock while reflecting influences associated with artists including The Apples in Stereo, The Olivia Tremor Control and other acts connected to the broader Elephant 6 scene.
The Deathray Davies Continue Post-Hiatus Revival
The release builds on the band’s renewed activity following Time Well Wasted in 2021. That album ended a 15-year gap between releases and reintroduced The Deathray Davies to listeners after an extended period away.
With LAMPSHADE EARTHQUAKE MICROPHONE, the group is now turning unfinished recordings from its earlier era into a new full-length project. “Red Lights” is the first preview, with the complete 13-track album arriving Nov. 6, 2026.